A Compendium of Our World’s Creatures
Explore a world of astonishing animals, bizarre beasts, and curious creatures.
Species Highlight!
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Species
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The Journal
Owls: Who Are They?
There are over 250 species of owl.
They range in form from rugged giants that hunt fish to tiny long-legged critters that hide in underground holes and in habitats from frozen tundra to sun-baked desert. Many don’t fit the typical preconception of a silent nocturnal raptor.
How do they fly so silently? How far can they turn their heads? How do they sense the world around them and accurately catch prey without seeing it? How smart are they? What makes an owl an owl and how do some species diverge from the norm?
The Flightless Cormorant
The flightless cormorant is the only non-flying bird of its kind. This is thanks to its unique evolutionary history on the storied Galápagos Islands.
How did the Galápagos Islands rise from the seas and become populated with such bountiful life?
Why did the flightless cormorant, and hundreds of other birds, evolve to lose their flight?
Find out as we explore the birth and colonisation of the Galápagos and go on a tour of flightless birds, both present and past!
